The old address markers still hang on the oak tree where I used to catch the bus to school. We lived there several years before Dad had a sign made so people knew where to turn when they'd come to visit. Before that, you just took a right at the top of the hill. Growing up out in the country, I remember we had our share of emergencies. My mom was born and raised in the City and even though she loved our country home, she still had a delicate nature and would appeal to us kids to help her manage some of the tricky situations we found ourselves in. We had an old goat that the dogs would occasionally chase. He’d run around bleating and The Call would go out and we’d all scramble down to our pasture to get him to safety. Sometimes stray dogs would get into the pasture and harass our pigs. I remember snakes in the house. Animals getting loose. Animals getting hurt. Animals getting sick. Animals dying. One time I heard my mom calling me, “Susan! Get your dad’s gun! Rats are killing the chicks!” That’s pretty much all the information you need to act immediately. I ran to their bedroom, grabbed his pistol, and out onto the deck where I could see that the coop, about 25 feet away, was in chaos. I aimed carefully and I swear one little bugger stared me straight in the eye right before I pulled the trigger. I only got one shot off before they all dispersed, but that was enough to take one chick-killing rat out of the game. Another time, we found the pasture gate open and when we finished counting heads, my horse was missing. I got on my bike and rode around, finally spotting him locked INSIDE a neighbor’s pasture about ½ mile away. They weren’t home and the pasture was surrounded by electric fencing. So I tracked down their control box, disabled the fence, dismantled one panel, got my horse and walked him home. I went back and put the fence together, fired it up and rode my bike home. I was probably 12 at the time. There was one tragedy, we felt completely helpless. My mom raised angora rabbits for their wool which she would spin into yarn. She had a litter of babies out in the hutch and if you’ve never seen a baby fuzzy bunny, I can tell you they are among the cutest things ever invented! One day, she found the Mama rabbit distraught in her cage, trapped inside with a snake that had eaten all her babies and then was too fat to escape. My mom never did like snakes and that snake did not live to tell the tale. When I left home at the age of 19, I left the country life behind. I spent 25 years in suburbia, raising my girls, before finally coming back a couple years ago. Our recent tragic events have reminded me of the dark side to living this life. While we are in mourning, I also realize that there will always be failures and losses. Whether it be an animal, a crop or a recipe, the goal is to have as few as possible. We have learned a valuable lesson. We will be smarter next time and perhaps prevent an even greater tragedy from happening in the future. It hurts, though. And that is why we can call ourselves farmers. We will grieve every loss, every time. It’s in our hearts, it’s who we are. I wouldn’t change a thing.Visit us at www.facebook.com/thepocketfarmer! Hope to see you there!

So, the Farmers went a little crazy today. And actually it’s been weird all week. First, the dogs left for awhile and the lady farmer was calling and calling for them, but they never came. Finally, the lady ran out to her car and left in a big hurry and came back awhile later with the dogs. She looked sad and the dogs were dirty and just kind of laid low the rest of that day. The next day everyone was out in the yard and everything seemed fine. The little goose was running around all day visiting with everyone and we all got to play in the yard until it was dark. I rolled in the dirt and ate some bugs. It was a good day. Then the Farmers went back to work and we pretty much keep ourselves occupied until they come home. It’s ok. Ever since they took the rambunctious boys out of our coop things are pretty good here. I am friends with the other hens and I think we have one of the better houses, so I must be Lucky. I can see the boys pen from here, they have been sharing their house with the little goose. Until yesterday, and the Bad Thing happened. I was still sleeping, but I woke up when I heard the lady farmer screaming. She was yelling and standing at the boys’ pen in shock. Usually she opens the pen and the little goose runs out and follows her around while she does the morning chores. Today was different. I tried to see what was happening but all I saw was her take the baby goose out of the pen and hold it carefully in her arms. She seemed very sad and was yelling at the dogs and that’s when I heard one of the other hens say that the dogs had been playing a new game called tag with the baby goose that morning and maybe that’s why they were in trouble. All I know is she took the baby goose away and didn’t come back. Last night when the farmers got home, they were very quiet and no one wanted to play with us. This morning, the dogs came back out to play, but since the goose was gone they decided to play with a rooster instead. They played the game until the rooster got tired and laid down. Pretty soon the lady farmer came out and just like yesterday, once she got to the pen and looked inside, she yelled and screamed at the dogs and they went to hide. She opened the pen and took out the rooster and he must have been very tired because he didn’t move or make a sound. She held him and seemed very sad and left. He hasn’t come back yet. Tonight though, the Farmers went crazy. They got home from work and were yelling Bad Dog! Bad Dog! And the dogs couldn’t seem to find a place to hide. No one is talking or laughing and the hens tell me that we have to be very careful and remember not to play the game with the dogs. The dogs make me nervous so I’m not going to stick my head out of the pen to play the game. It doesn’t look like fun to me anyway. So now it’s pretty quiet. The Farmers filled our food and water then went into the big house. No one knows what is going on, but since the baby goose and the rooster haven’t come back and the dogs are in Big Trouble, things sure are different around here.

In just the amount of time it took to snap this picture…5 seconds, 10 seconds maybe, they were gone. I had taken Bella and Pete out to our field for an early morning walk. It was a beautiful morning, sun shining, no dew on the grass, probably going to be a pretty warm day. It's the same walk we’ve taken hundreds of times. I stopped by Sammy’s grave and said hello. I miss that boy! Checked out the berry vines and walnut trees. Thought about the day ahead, a full day of checking things off the list. Better get busy!

Almost back to the house, dogs trailing behind, the butterfly caught my eye. It flew around and landed deep into the stem of some overgrowth. It started climbing up and into the sun, and as it did, the colors emerged and I leaned over to take the shot. Still climbing, it turned and fully exposed its wings in a beautiful pose that I did not have a chance to photograph. Instead, out of the corner of my eye, I saw the dogs take off, run into the trees and disappear. Bella! Pete! Bella! Pete! I yelled and whistled, but they did not come. Anxious minutes turned into hours. We searched and searched. No dogs. In a rural setting, there are a lot of places to hide. We drove around scanning the farm fields and countryside, but found no trace of them. I stopped by a couple of farmhouses and showed them pictures and left my name and number. If you see these dogs, please call. :( I thought about the busy road at the end of our drive. 50 mph speed limit is posted. Traffic usually moves much quicker than that. I can see two dead raccoons in the road, killed while crossing last night. I felt sick. Our neighbor Debbie, put their pictures up on Facebook and sent out the alarm. 6 hours had passed. They could be miles away by now! My phone rings. “Sue? This is Joe, you stopped by our place earlier and we’ve just seen your dogs. They are working their way back into the woods at the edge of our field, headed your way.” Quick, into the car! Debbie following in her vehicle, we take off like mad people to see if we can spot the runaways. Just a few minutes away, we find them! Muddy, scared and tired, they crawl into the car and we head home. Pete knows not to make eye contact. He's been in trouble before.

Home, sweet home!

Bella is so tired she can't keep her eyes open. I find no injuries, no trauma, but they are exhausted. The heat of the day has taken its toll on them, they drink and sleep the rest of the afternoon. I feel like sleeping too. What a gut wrenching way to spend the day! Relief and anger are the emotions I’m wrestling with, along with gratitude. We likely would not have had such a good outcome without help from our friends. Thank you everyone!! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, we would be nowhere without the help and support of our communities! Friends, neighbors, family…whoever you’ve got in the trenches with you, count your blessings!! Just like these dogs, I'd be lost without them! Now, where did I put that list?For more adventures with Bella, Pete and the gang, join us at www.facebook.com/thepocketfarmer. Hope to see you there! :)

A few years ago when Farmer Tom and I got started on Facebook, it was to reconnect with long lost friends and playmates from school. I had moved across the country from my childhood home and really had no idea what everyone had gone on to accomplish in their lives. Facebook provides a wonderful forum for contacting old friends and making new ones. Last year I attended my class reunion in California, an event they now hold annually, because 5 or 10 years is too long to wait, to see the people who helped make you who you are today. I love how so many folks are able to travel around the world and share their experiences and pictures on FB for all of us to admire. I really do enjoy seeing the sites through their eyes and adding places to my bucket list of travel adventures I hope to experience one day. Traveling isn’t exactly practical for us during this phase of our lives when work is prevalent during the summer months and we are still in a growth phase. With no travel pictures to share, we started posting our “vacation” pics, such as this shed we built a few summers ago. It’s how we spend our free time, so we figured, why not? It was fun to get feedback from friends during the different stages of construction and kept us motivated and on task. In the past year or so, FB has provided an interactive home for me to explore a subject matter near and dear to my heart, something that I am calling The Pocket Farmer. It is equal parts sharing and learning, about the environment, farming, gardening and being a good citizen. When I see that more than 2,800 like minded people are sharing the ride with me, it makes me proud to be participating in such a worthwhile endeavor. The energy and enthusiasm of the FB community is what keeps this Pocket Farmer out in the trenches every day and moving our lives into the sustainable direction that we are headed. A truly heartfelt THANK YOU to all of you for your time and contributions! I continue to learn from you every day and could not have accomplished as much or been as successful, without your guidance. The future looks bright, from here! With technology being such a big part of our lives, I just wanted to take a moment to illustrate how it has impacted my life, in general, but specifically how Facebook has allowed me to grow and share with others. I am able to keep in touch with my girls who are grown and away to college. I can watch the children of my far away friends grow and establish families of their own. I can research, watch silly videos, listen and commiserate with someone who is having a difficult time. It brings me joy every day. So my question for you today is: How has Facebook changed your life? I look forward to hearing your responses! :)Be sure to check www.facebook.com/thepocketfarmer for daily updates and inspiration! Hope to see you there!

Hi, I'm Sue Pranskus, and this is my sometime blog. It's mostly about my attempts to "green-up" my life. On our little farm we experiment with livestock, gardening, building, repurposing and anything else that we find interesting. Born and bred on the West Coast, I am living in the Midwest by choice, not circumstance. I have built a life based largely on core values and loosely on whimsy. It's that whimsy, though, that gets me in trouble every time!